Jackson spends like he's a King of Shop
In the decade since Jackson was first accused of child molestation, his record sales have plummeted, his concert dates have been few and far between - and his income has dwindled.
Still, the entertainer has maintained an opulent lifestyle, so lavish that prosecutors maintain he spends like a billionaire on a millionaire's budget.
Many details about Jackson's finances remained sketchy during the proceedings. But forensic accountant John Duross O'Bryan testified the singer had an "ongoing cash crisis" and was spending 20 to 30 million dollars more per year than he earned.
A balance sheet dated June 30, 2002, indicated Jackson had assets of €130m and liabilities of over €339m, O'Bryan said.
The testimony included references to memos by Jackson financial managers warning that to balance the books and clear huge loans held by Bank of America, he might have to sell his share of up to 50% of Sony/ATV Music Publishing, which owns and administers copyrights to thousands of songs - including the words and music to 251 Beatles tunes.
Analysts estimate Sony/ATV could be worth as much as €0.8 billion.
The catalogue provides Jackson a steady stream of income and has been used as collateral to secure €164m in loans from Bank of America.
The prospect of selling his stake in the catalogue has split Jackson's advisers.
In April, the pop star faced the possibility of losing the catalogue to foreclosure when he was a day late making a €2.45m payment to Bank of America.
Michael Jackson and his representatives insist that assets such as the Sony/ATV catalogue and his Neverland estate ensure his financial house is in order. In a March interview by the Rev Jesse Jackson broadcast over the internet, the entertainer denied rumours he was near bankruptcy.
"That's not true at all. It's just one of their many schemes to embarrass me," he said.
Jackson built his fortune in the 1980s as one of the world's most popular entertainers. His 1982 album Thriller sold 26 million copies and included huge hits such as Billie Jean and Beat It. Five years later, Bad sold 22 million copies. In 1991 he signed a €53.1m recording deal with Sony.
But one of Jackson's shrewdest deals was his 1985 acquisition of ATV Music for €47.5m. When he ran into financial problems a decade later, he agreed to a deal with Sony to merge ATV with Sony's library of songs and sold Sony music publishing rights.
Sony paid Jackson a total of €122.8m as part of the ATV merger agreement, the Wall Street Journal reported.
As his financial problems continued, Jackson began to borrow large sums of money, according to a 2002 lawsuit by Union Finance & Investment that sought unpaid fees and expenses.
Jackson had hired Union Finance in 1998 to help straighten out his finances. The firm soon discovered Jackson was "a ticking financial time bomb waiting to explode at any moment", according to the suit, which was later settled.
By 2001, Jackson had borrowed from Bank of America, according to court testimony. Last month, New York-based Fortress Investment Group, which specialises in troubled debt, acquired Jackson's Bank of America loan.
Jackson owns homes in Las Vegas and the Encino area of Los Angeles along with his 2,600-acre Neverland ranch in Santa Barbara County.
If the pop icon is acquitted, it's hard to estimate how much he might expect to earn from new albums or tours. His box set, The Ultimate Collection, sold just 57,000 copies last year.
The Number Ones compilation album released in 2003 sold 903,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
At this point, the terms of his recording deal with Sony are unclear.
Gary Bongiovanni, editor in chief of Pollstar, a publication that tracks the concert business, said: "There'll be promoters who will be lined up to work with him if he's acquitted."
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